Established in 1897 as the Educational Department of the YMCA in downtown Portland,[1][2] the school was the oldest fully accredited two-year college in the U.S. Pacific Northwest at the time it was absorbed by the University of Portland (UP) in 1969.

In 1909, the YMCA moved to Sixth and Taylor, as the school needed more space after starting to offer day-time classes as well.

[1] The school added electrician classes in 1912, followed by accounting and auto repair before opening an engineering department in 1919.

[3] Prior to the merger into UP, it had an enrollment of 750 full-time students, including 140 from countries outside the United States, taught by a faculty of 50, as of April 1969.

[3][4] The college was noted for its engineering program, prompting the university to rename its own the "Multnomah School of Engineering" as part of plan, which UP president Paul E. Waldschmidt described as a merger of "boards and resources, not of faculty and students.